Assessment

Marking, feedback and assessment at Deptford Green

How starting points are determined

The average KS2 score of Maths and English will determine the starting point at the beginning of Year 7. This will have an impact on their targets at GCSE. The targets set as a result of prior attainment will broadly be in line with national progress expectations and measures. Additional assessment may also take place in Year 7 to support the published Key Stage 2 scores. These baseline tests will help us to establish a clear picture of each student’s ability in a number of areas. This information will be used to help inform decisions made by subjects when grouping students and setting, when appropriate. Teachers will also use this information when planning, delivering and feeding back on lessons.

Formative Assessment and hinge assignments for Key Stage 3 and 4

Progress is driven by regular formative assessment. Each department has identified a number of assignments which allow students to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding following a sequence of lessons. Feedback given on these tasks will help students understand what they did well and what they need to do to improve. Teachers will set tasks following these assignments which allow students to improve on the work. In addition, students will be awarded an effort grade for the piece of work. Formative feedback may exist in different formats depending on the subject. For example, in some practical lessons, verbal feedback might be used instead of written feedback.

Summative Assessment at Key Stage 3

Three categories of attainment will be awarded. We will continue to use language recognizable to parents from primary school. The three levels of attainment awarded will be:

• Working towards age expected standard (WTS)
• Working at age expected standard (EXS)
• Working in greater depth (GDS)

How will these categories be awarded?

In addition to regular formatively marked work, students will also undertake a number of summative assessments throughout the year. These could take the form of:

- timed assessments that capture students’ knowledge skills and understanding across a range of topics;
- pieces of work being identified as summative pieces which capture a range of knowledge skills and understanding over time.

There will also be a + or – awarded to students at the end of each category. This will allow you to see how close your child is to the next category.

In normal circumstances, students and parents will be provided with academic reports twice a year.

External Verification

The standard of work by students at Deptford Green will be verified externally to ensure it compares to work elsewhere. This will take place by:

• Cross moderation of work in other schools
• Working with leaders in other schools
• Using national testing strategies (where appropriate)

Measurement of Progress

Students will also be given a ‘progress colour’ which relates to their starting point in some subjects. This will measure their position versus their starting point at Key Stage 2. For example, a student who came in to the school as a Higher Prior Attainer, would be expected to fall into the ‘working in greater detail’ category. An HPA student who is ‘working at age expected standard’ may show as underachieving in that area.

Summative assessment at Key Stage 4

In years 10 and 11, some assignments will be chosen that replicate or are versions of real GCSE questions (e.g. past exam questions). They will be marked by awarding a 1-9 grade. These will be common pieces of work decided by the Head of Faculty and/or Department. These assignments might be, for example, assessments at the end of units of work on a particular unit or topic.

The collection of this data will build up a bank of evidence that teachers can later use to make professional judgments. This information can also usefully be used by students, parents and teachers to identify strengths and areas of improvement feeding into Personal Improvement Plans.

Formative assessment will continue alongside summative assessment at Key Stage 4.

PPEs

In addition to the above, PPEs (Pre-public exams) will be scheduled during the year for years 10 and 11 in normal circumstances. The focus of these PPEs s will be to assess the full range of content covered by the students. This will give students the opportunity to use revision and recall content from earlier in the year. We will make these PPEs ‘high profile’ and publish content to revise and the timetable in advance. Over the course of Year 10 and 11, students will have had the opportunity to sit all components of the exam in normal circumstances.